Seeds of Autumn

  Chapter Seven

  That afternoon Ariana went with Shadow's Step to her flat to collect some clothes and other things that she could keep at the pack's headquarters.

  'There are many of our kind in Caerton, not just our pack, but many others,' Shadow explained in a quiet voice as they walked briskly through St. Mark's. 'Each area of the city is claimed by a different pack, except for the very heart of the city.'

  'Why?' she asked, frowning.

  'None of us are entitled to it. There are certain traditions, certain bloodlines.' Shadow's voice tailed off as a man rushed past them.

  'Do you mean royalty?' Ariana asked him.

  'Yes.'

  'Is there an heir somewhere, then?'

  'Yes. And Artemis help us if he ever makes a serious move to claim his throne.'

  Something in Shadow's tone told Ariana not to pursue the matter further and a few minutes later they arrived at her door.

  Shadow waited outside while Ariana quickly packed a bag and checked that all was in order. She planned to stay with the pack for a day or two to get acquainted with them and learn as much as she could about her change. She changed into some black boarders and a white vest top, adding her favourite, most comfortable trainers and a smart black jacket.

  As she stood in front of her mirror checking her outfit she focused on her eyes; they looked more sharp, more alive than ever before and the blue of them was far more striking than it had been before she changed. Her skin looked pale but had a healthy glow to it and her short hair felt thicker and a bit more difficult to tame. It was like she had grown into her own features, she looked the same but healthier and more vibrant.

  She stared at herself for a long time, examining every curve of her face carefully. She found herself wondering if anyone would notice and she quickly banished the thought, afraid of what it might mean having to face up to; whether or not she could keep close ties to her friends, her work and her human life. With a quick shake of her head she grabbed her overnight bag and the bag with her precious dha in and ran for the door.

  She locked up and ran down into the street to meet Shadow and they set off back to the headquarters. Shadow walked half a step behind Ariana, his eyes ever watchful and she couldn't help but feel on edge the whole way back.

  The Blue Moon Betting Shop was on a fairly wide and busy street, with terraced houses on both sides and a few shops in a row on the opposite side. The betting shop stood between two normal houses that both looked suspiciously empty. Shadow led her in through the shop and he held the door open for her.

  Ariana cast her eyes around the space. The front of shop had a large window with dark blue printed on it to conceal the inside of the shop from passers by. Mounted on the walls around the room were several televisions each blaring out a different sporting event, several dedicated to horse racing. The walls were painted dark blue, the floor was faded blue linoleum and discarded betting slips littered it. At the back of the shop was a partition with four cashier windows, two of which were open and Ariana saw Stone behind one and a new face behind the other. Filling the space were at least a dozen men, nearly all were smoking heavily. There were shouts of frustration and enthusiasm at the events on the screens, and the whole shop was filled with smoke and noise.

  It was overwhelming for Ariana and she put her head down and quickly followed Shadow to a small door at the back of the shop. Shadow punched a code into a keypad and opened the door. He held his hand out, indicating for her to head on through into the back area and she made her way ahead of him. Stone gave her a warm smile as she stepped through the little door and the young woman next to her gave a friendly wave, Ariana regarded her carefully and sensed that she was human.

  The back area was well sound proofed, the noise of the televisions was little more than a faint buzzing. Ariana's eyes went to the safe under the counter between the two middle windows, out of sight of any punters. Shadow greeted Stone and nodded at the other assistant.

  'How are the takings looking today, ladies?' Shadow asked, leafing through a few papers in front of Stone.

  'About the same as usual,' Stone replied with a shrug. 'Ariana, this is Lily, my little sister.'

  'Oh,' Ariana gasped. 'Pleased to meet you.' She stepped closer and shook hands with the girl.

  'Hi,' Lily replied. 'Nice to see another new face around here.' She grinned and bounced slightly on her stool.

  Ariana regarded Lily carefully, she was young, probably a year or two younger than herself. She had long red hair, like Stone's, and a fresh face. She was dressed in skinny jeans and a t-shirt that fell off one shoulder, revealing a hot pink strap.

  'See you both later,' Shadow said cheerfully, before leading Ariana out into the back of the building.

  She sat down at the kitchen table. Shadow moved around the kitchen, tidying, moving meat from the freezer to the fridge and other little chores.

  'Stone has a little sister?' Ariana asked quietly, unable to conceal the disbelief.

  'She does,' Shadow said, chuckling. 'Lily hasn't changed yet, she may never change, but we have raised her and she knows all about us. That's the way it often happens.'

  'I was adopted,' Ariana said quietly. She had tried not to give too much thought to who her birth parents were. They had abandoned her for some reason and she had bounced around the care system during her early years. She was adopted when she was four. Her adoptive family were nice enough, but she always felt different from them. Now she knew why.

  'Do you know who your biological parents are?' Shadow asked cautiously.

  'No, I have no idea.'

  'Would you like to find out?'

  'Not really,' she said dismissively.

  'One of them at least will have been a shifter,' he said, a leading tone to his voice.

  She raised a curious eyebrow. It was all too much to take in, everything had changed and this was one thing too many. She shook her head and pushed the idea of finding her birth parents right to the back of her mind.

  'No. I can't deal with that right now. Maybe later.'

  'Okay,' he said simply and went back to tidying.

  'Shadow?' she asked tentatively. 'You were so cautious on the walk over here, I wondered if you could see something that I couldn't.'

  He shook his head.

  'No. I was just keeping a cautious eye on you and making sure nothing untoward happened. There are other things that might try to take advantage of your recent change.'

  'Those wolves on bonfire night?'

  'Maybe,' he replied solemnly. 'But perhaps other forces.'

  Ariana wanted to ask him to explain but his demeanour suddenly changed, a bright smile appearing on his face. 'Tonight I will take you patrolling. You need to take a tour of our territory so that you know where the borders are.'

  Ariana nodded in agreement. Her thoughts turned to running through the night as a fox, she was longing to get out and do that. She remembered seeing the animals from her flat window and the terrified howl she had heard. Her grin faltered and she looked down at her hands, remembering the eyes in the alley. A half forgotten memory jerked into her mind, an inky blackness, canines shifting into beasts and fighting in the street. Her hand darted to her mouth as the memory became clear again at last.

  'Oh!' she exclaimed and Shadow looked thoughtfully at her. 'I remember now. I saw a fight. I saw you change and fight that blackness. That has been bothering me so much. What was that? Why did I forget?'

  'Blackness?' Shadow asked, a frown creasing his brow. 'Oh, I remember. It was about a month ago. There are all sorts of things in this world that you are close to discovering, Ariana, so many things. Not all of them are good. We try to protect people from discovering the truth and that sometimes involves hunting down rogue demons and other creatures and clearing up the mess they make.'

  'Demons?' she blurted out. Shock and fear sent a shudder through her entire body.

  'Demons,' he repeated calmly. He looked her in the eye and gave a sad smile. 'I'm sorr
y, it's a lot to take in.'

  'It is,' she whispered in reply. Her eyes dropped to the table and her thoughts tumbled around in a chaotic jumble. She thought of his words about clearing up messes and cringed as her thoughts turned to her first shift. The memories were overpowering. She realised that it was possible that someone saw her changing, just as she had seen Shadow and the others. 'What happens, if we change in public? People must see sometimes.'

  Shadow regarded her carefully.

  'Yes, sometimes they do. They usually forget the details of what they have seen, as you did. Later they rationalise it. They believe they saw a vicious dog or some other reasonable explanation. We don't normally take the Agrius form in front of humans if we can possibly help it.'

  Ariana was shocked that they had this power over people's memories. Shadow looked deep into her eyes. 'It's our defence, Ariana, it's for the best. Humans must not know about us, this protects them from realising the truth and protects us from humanity. What do you think would happen if people found out about us?'

  'I suppose,' Ariana spoke slowly, gathering her troubled thoughts, 'they would hunt us.'

  He was right, of course, and she supposed that in time she would grow used to the idea. She looked to the floor and gripped her own arms across her chest. She felt Shadow's warm hand on her shoulder and looked up into his striking yellow eyes.

  'I don't believe anyone saw you change, Ariana. It happened very quickly, it was late at night. Half of your rampage took place in Hepethia, away from human eyes, and we tried to hide you in darkness once we knew that you were changing. That same darkness elemental that you saw last month has been brought back into check and is working with us again. It caused the lights to go out as you ran, hiding you in shadow.'

  'My students were leaving their class, there must have been some still getting into their cars or leaving the dojo behind me. There must have been.' Her voice shook.

  'When we caught your scent and followed you there was no one else on the street. You had run a fair distance from the dojo in your frenzy. Please try not to worry. If there are any repercussions from your change then we will handle that too,' he paused only for a moment. 'Now, we need to see Flames.'

  He stood and walked briskly to the top of the stairs to the basement. 'Flames,' he called out in a clear but calm voice. Ariana moved across the kitchen, her sword bag clutched tightly in her hand. She heard muffled noises below and then footsteps on the stairs. Flames-First-Guardian emerged from the stairwell and behind him came a man a little older than Ariana, in his early twenties. He was well built, tall and with a confident air, almost a swagger. He gave Ariana a quick once over and nodded in greeting.

  'Ariana, this is Wind Talker, he joined the Blue Moon a few weeks ago.' Flames spoke authoritatively, but barely looked at her as he passed her and headed towards the shop at the front of the building. Wind Talker paused by Ariana and smiled, which looked a little odd on his severe face and she smiled nervously back.

  'Hi, nice to meet you,' she managed to mumble. He barked with laughter and followed Flames. Shadow took her hand gently and gave an apologetic look. He led her after them into the back of the shop. As they reached the doorway she watched open mouthed as Flames and Wind Talker shimmered out of existence right in front of her. 'What the...'

  'We're crossing the veil into Hepethia now,' Shadow whispered at her ear. 'I will lead you this time, but I want you to feel everything so that you can try it yourself next time.'

  The back area of the shop was empty but for Lily at one of the windows and beyond the partition a few people shouted profanities at the televisions, but they were out of sight of the doorway. Ariana concentrated and stepped through the doorway with Shadow. She felt something wrench at her navel and the world spun around her. As her foot hit the floor she stumbled awkwardly but Shadow still had hold of her and she corrected herself quickly. She was shaking slightly as she looked around.

  They emerged in a space that looked like the betting shop, but there were no people, no partition and everything looked a little different. The room was taller than in the human world, and much darker. The corners seemed to stretch away into blackness and the walls were hung with strips of paper money. The safe, tucked away out of sight in the human world was dominant on this side of the veil, it was tall and well secured with a large and elaborate locking mechanism. On the walls around them were mounted televisions but they were broadcasting only static, commentaries babbled over one another through the fizz in chaotic and eerie voices.

  Flames and Wind Talker stood watching her carefully and she felt they were waiting for her to react. She was unnerved but she felt safe with Shadow at her side. Casually, Ariana dropped Shadow's hand and took a step away from him, looking around with wide eyes.

  'Okay. I wasn't expecting this. I don't know what I was expecting, but not this.' Her voice echoed slightly and there was a flutter of movement on the other side of the glass shop front. Her eyes darted to the source but she didn't see anything. The others didn't react so she concluded that it was nothing to worry about and she didn't want to appear to be too jumpy.

  'Shifters can create safe places in Hepethia with our thoughts and actions,' Shadow explained. 'This is ours. I wanted a field with a protective dome over it, but the others wanted it to be like the betting shop.' He sighed and Ariana stifled a laugh. He smiled and winked at her.

  'Flames?' Ariana spoke up tentatively. He looked at her expectantly. 'Is it possible to do something to these as well? So that they change with me?' She unzipped the bag and slipped the dha out of it.

  He came over to her for a closer look and a knowing smile crossed his lips.

  'Burmese, yes?' he asked, looking carefully at the ornate wooden scabbards.

  'Yes.' She was surprised and pleased to find that he recognised them.

  'I will make them blend to you, so that they change with you and become invisible until drawn, we can't walk around the streets of Caerton with weapons on display.'

  'Of course,' Ariana grinned.

  'Do you mind me marking them? I will need to engrave the hilts and scabbards with special runes.'

  Ariana clutched them close for a moment, unsure that she wanted them marked. But she knew that she wanted to be able to use them so she nodded in agreement.

  'At a later date I can imbue them with special properties, make them more fun to use.' Flames flashed an excited grin, Ariana could tell he enjoyed this.

  Flames cleared his throat and began issuing instructions to Wind Talker in setting things up for their ritual. In the centre of the room sat a small fire pit, which had clearly seen a lot of use. It was nothing fancy, just a blackened metal dish the size of a wok, it may have once been an actual wok. In it Wind Talker placed some herbs and what Ariana thought may have been incense. The fire was lit and the air filled with the smells of smoke and the ritual herbs. Ariana watched as Flames began casting a circle. He walked around them chanting words she didn't fully understand.

  The money on the walls fluttered gently and the sound of the televisions hushed in response, the air all around them grew still and Ariana realised by its absence that she had felt eyes on her before but now felt sure she was alone with her pack mates. Whoever was watching them had been banished from the space and the circle protected them.

  Shadow stood very still next to her and he leaned close to whisper in her ear.

  'You should stay in this form now until Flames invites you to change. Your clothes will then change with you. Don't worry, you'll be fine.' He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she turned her head to smile at him. She did feel nervous, she was going to have to control her shift in front of the others and she didn't know if she could. She tried to follow what they were saying.

  'We give thanks to Luna, may her light protect and bless us always.' Flames spoke with a clear and authoritative voice. He produced a long, beautiful knife with a bone handle and swiftly swiped it across his palm. Blood ran down the blade and dripped onto the floor.
Ariana looked down and saw dozens of little blood drop stains all over the linoleum, undoubtedly from previous rituals. 'We offer life to Grins-Too-Widely, thanking him for his patronage and many gifts to The Blue Moon.'

  Wind Talker took some more incense and lit it, he tossed it into the fire and flames rose up in a sudden burst, sparks showered out onto the floor.

  'We offer this incense, made of our shadows and our blood to the fae of secrecy and adaptability.' Wind Talker spoke with confidence, though Ariana sensed a touch of apprehension behind his eyes, she could tell this was the first time he had actively participated in this ritual.

  Flames approached her and held out a large ritual goblet carved from wood. He held it out and spoke to her.

  'I will offer your blood in sacrifice now, please do not be afraid.' His voice had a soothing lilt to it and for the first time Ariana felt trust for him well up inside her and she felt the bond between them. She held out her arm and looked into his eyes as he pushed the sleeve of her jacket up her arm, then brought the knife down on her forearm in a swift movement. She felt the sting of the cut, but not as keenly as she would have before the change, she looked down in surprise to see her blood seeping out from the deep cut along her skin and she flexed her fingers to keep them from going numb. Quickly Flames took hold of her arm and twisted it gently over the goblet, spilling blood into it. Ariana was fascinated and watched carefully. Flames chanted as he dipped his finger into the blood and drew swirling circles and what looked like runes onto her skin and clothes, moving around her as he did so. Wind Talker was watching carefully, clearly taking mental notes and Ariana gave him an encouraging smile, which he returned and she felt a kinship with him swell within her.

  Flames gently positioned her arms out in front of her, then placed her two swords across her palms. He took the blood-stained knife and very carefully began to scratch runes into the wood.

  'I invoke the fae of secrecy, hidden things and those of ownership. Make these blades bound to this blood.' When he finished carving, he carefully placed both swords across her back by their straps and Ariana adjusted them so that they hung comfortably on her.

  Flames took a step back and stood before her, his arms raised above his head. He nodded once and she understood that he meant for her to shift now. With a steadying breath she willed her body to change and it came surprisingly easily this time as she shifted into her fox form. She looked down her legs and back over her shoulder and along her orange-brown back to see that her clothes and dha had melded into her body. She shifted back, her clothes and dha restored perfectly and she beamed at Flames in thanks.

  She felt Shadow lightly touch her arm and she looked at him, he was pointing toward the shop door, following his finger with her eyes Ariana was startled to see a fox slinking silently in through the now open door. His orange fur was in stark contrast the purple-blue of the shop front and it gleamed in the daylight flooding in through the unpainted top half of the front window. His face was contorted into a huge grin. It should have looked like a snarl but didn't, though there was something deeply unsettling about it. But she couldn't find the fox frightening, she could feel his being within her, just like she could feel her pack and she leaned close to Shadow, unable to take her eyes from the fox.

  'What is that?' she whispered, though her voice carried on the silent air and the others followed her gaze. The fox sat down on the edge of the ritual circle, his head tilted to one side and looking at Ariana, grinning.

  Flames lowered his arms and held one hand out to the fox in welcome.

  'This is Grins-Too-Widely, guide and ally to the Blue Moon. He is a very old, wise and powerful shifter who has slipped into Hepethia and lost his humanity. Think of him as an elder, like in tribal societies that venerate the eldest and wisest members.' Flames explained. 'Please greet the newest member of our pack and welcome her as your own.' His voice was full of command but Ariana sensed that he was not in control of this fox, it seemed to be more the other way around. Grins-Too-Widely blinked at her a few times, then nodded and she instantly felt her connection to him deepen. He had accepted her. She didn't fully understand what that meant but she felt the weight of it. She felt Shadow reach out to her with his thoughts,

  You'll get used to all the more... unusual things. She giggled and immediately felt all eyes on her. She muttered an apology and nodded respectfully to Grins-Too-Widely. The fox locked eyes with her and spoke; somehow his voice penetrated his grin without his huge teeth parting or his lips moving, that grin was relentless.

  'I will take you on the hunt tonight and help lead you to your true name.'

  'You will?' Ariana wasn't sure what to make of that. Shadow stirred beside her.

  'Grins-Too-Widely rarely makes his presence known during the day, but you will feel him with us tonight when I take you out. He may show you something that will have a lasting impact on you. It's good of him to forewarn you.' Shadow smiled and bowed to the fox. As silently as he had approached, Grins-Too-Widely slipped away.

  'The Blue Moon gives thanks to Grins-Too-widely, Luna and all of the fae who bestow their gifts of change, adaptability and secrecy to our packmate.' Flames drew the ritual to a close by walking around the circle with his knife held out towards the floor, blood dripping from it every few steps. He stood next to Ariana and gave her a slightly awkward pat on the shoulder. 'You did well.'

  Ariana smiled in gratitude and followed the others back to the doorway and this time, holding no one's hand, she stepped across the veil on her own.